Most Popular Sports to Bet On

I’m regularly asked what sports are the most popular to bet on. This question is impossible to answer with certainty since we simply don’t have the data required. However, it’s possible to make an educated guess.

The betting popularity of a sport will largely depend on where you live.

United States / Canada

We can lump the two North American allies together because they generally bet on the same sports. The big four sports to bet on in North America are football (NFL/NCAAF), basketball (NBA/NCAAB), baseball (MLB) and hockey (NHL).

Horse racing is also popular in the United States, but not on the level of the NFL or NBA. Spending a day at the track and placing some casual bets is common, but there aren’t too many serious horse racing handicappers in America.

Some of the more niche sports to bet on in the USA are NASCAR and the UFC. Americans love racing and fighting, so it’s no wonder these two sports are popular to bet on in the country.

You’ll be able to 365bet with these sports when they’re in season. The summers are quieter in US sports.

United Kingdom

The UK love to punt on football (soccer) and horse racing the most. Horse racing is extremely in the UK and there are races to bet on daily. There are 1000s of handicappers that share tips, information and form guides online.

Everyone in the UK bets on the Premier League. A number of other football leagues are popular among punters too, including the Champions League, Europa League, Serie A, Ligue 1 and Bundesliga.

Auto racing is popular too, but rather than betting on NASCAR, punters in the UK wager on F1 commonly.

Tennis and golf are also very popular sports to bet on with UK punters more so than other bettors. The UK bookies offer hundreds of betting markets for tennis and golf tournaments.

Asia

A lot of Asian countries feature massive underground gambling scenes. Football is the most popular sport to bet on and Asian handicaps are the most popular form of bet. Asian bookies are known to offer the best odds.

Horse racing is legal in many Asian countries and therefore a popular mainstream way to bet. Cricket is popular in many parts of Asia, including India, although in India bettors need to use offshore bookmakers to gamble.

There are a lot of basketball fans in Asia too and betting on the NBA is popular.

Australia

Aussies love to gamble on sports and many will bet on just about anything. However, the most popular sports to bet on in Australia are AFL (Aussie rules football), NRL (Rugby), horse racing and greyhound racing.

Other sports that are also popular include football, basketball, tennis and golf. Australia have domestic basketball and football leagues to bet on, but Aussies will also bet on the NBA, Premier League and other international leagues.

South America

Football is widely bet on in all South American countries. Volleyball is also popular in multiple countries, including Brazil and can be easily bet on online. Many bookies offer odds on numerous volleyball leagues around the world.

You don’t need to wager on the most popular sports to make money. Many sports bettors have carved out a niche betting on smaller sports or leagues, which have softer lines that are easier to beat.

Your goal shouldn’t be betting on what everyone else is betting on. Your number one goal should be finding where you excel and focusing on those sports. That’s why it’s so important to track your wagers.

About the author

Jay Cooper has been with UltimateCapper.com since 2004. His vast knowledge of sports rivals that of only Bobby Babowski. Jay takes pride in not only his writing, but his sports predictions from all the major sports. His favorite sport to follow and predict is Major League Baseball followed by College Football and NCAA Basketball. He is also pretty good at the smaller sports such as the WNBA and CFL. Be sure to check out Jay Cooper's preview and predictions all throughout our website. Contact Jay at webmaster@ultimatecapper.com